CRM at East Base, Antarctica Cathy Spude Robert Spude

he ice-breaker slowed to the pace of a row boat as it Tcrunched through the brackish ice of the LeMaire Straits. Disturbed crab eater seals looked briefly toward the big red boat, then slid away into the sea. Penguins, startled in disbelief at the intruder, dove off their ice blocks. We were bound for Stonington Island, site of America's and Antarctica's most recently designated his- toric monument. Captain Alex of Erebus ensured our safe arrival on February 21,1991, the final destination of a journey that began six months earlier with a phone call. A crew of 25 Americans built East Base, Stonington Island, Antarctica in 1940. Much of the environmental community is disturbed After a year's occupation, they evacuated the base hurriedly because of the fore- boding events leading to World War II. An astonishing number of items of the about the untidy nature of the continent, and the expedition—from shirts and kitchen utensils to vehicles and the base build- National Science Foundation, concerned as well, had ini- ings—endured 50 harsh winters before the site was designated a historic monu- tiated measures to clean up former research stations. ment under the terms of the Antarctic Treaty. The National Science Foundation plans to preserve East Base as a landmark to American wintering-over expedi- tions. Photo by Robert Spude, 1991.

Army, knock-down buildings built by a crew of 23 under Richard Black. The men used a Curtiss-Wright Condor airplane and dog sleds to survey the peninsula. In 1941, as wartime pressure increased and the pack-ice in the bay prevented a planned departure by ship, Black decid- ed to hurriedly evacuate the base by air. Crates of food, a spare plane engine, a tank and tractor and much gear were left behind. In 1947-1948, the privately funded Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition (RARE) re-occu- pied East Base. Finn Ronne, Richard Black's second in command, led RARE and conducted more explorations. The RARE expedition was also significant for being the first site where women (Edith "Jackie" Ronne and Jennie Darlingon) wintered-over in the Antarctic. When we arrived, on a calm, sunny (55 degrees) uncommon Antarctic day, the completeness of the site amazed us. Buildings and material culture were in sur- A cache of trail items remains in open crates behind the Ronne hut. Jackie Ronne put together trail bags of tea, cocoa, matches and assorted items under prisingly good shape. Pothunters and bottle collectors the canvas addition to her hut. Photo by Robert Spude, 1991. would have destroyed a similar 50-year-old site in the United States. Trash dumps contained material in While planning their effort, they recognized the historic incredible condition—a 1939 Reader's Digest in which significance of "East Base, Stonington Island," site of an one could read about sex education in public schools, a early winter-over expedition. Further research and con- shirt from Ike Musselman, one of the USASE crew, bot- ferences changed the NSF mission from clean-up to one tles from the doctor's office, a spare 1930s Curtess- of sympathetic preservation of the site while ensuring Wright plane engine, hay piles, and three of the build- that hazardous materials were removed. After a 1990 ings. Everything had a history, a history pieced together field check, they found that East Base, the oldest remain- by published books, records at the National Archives and ing U.S. base in the Antarctic, had a host of artifacts. interviews. Mrs. Jackie Ronne drew us a layout of her That is when they called the National Park Service for hut on a napkin at a MacDonald's restaurant in technical advice. In February, we boarded a boat bound Washington, DC before we left. It helped piece together for Antarctica. on-the-ground evidence: stacks of trail mixings, caches of East Base was established as part of Admiral Byrd's coal for stoves, and on and on. third expedition to the Antarctic (1939-1941). Known Our report, a description of resources and recommen- officially as the U.S. Antarctic Service Expedition dations for management, will be used by the National (USASE), the full scale exploration of the continent was Science Foundation to manage the site and, in the imme- supported by President Roosevelt. Admiral Byrd estab- diate future, remove any hazardous material: a corbel of lished two bases, West Base at Little America III and East (continued on last page) Base on Stonington Island. The base was a cluster of U.S.

1992 No. 2 17 CRM at East Base, Antarctica Monument is not impacted by increased visitation. The (continuedfrom page 17) site, as a listed Antarctic national monument, may become a destination point for the few tourist boats that acid from the science lab, sulphuric acid from the doc- venture south along the scenic Antarctic Peninsula. The tor's office and other dangers. The team will repair and number of visitors to the site are few, but during our make air-tight the buildings, unfortunately much altered journey we met Australian, French and British tourists, on the interiors by a nearby British base. The former the former while we were at East Base. bunk house was used as a seal-slaughter house and is As the movement for a world park on Antarctica con- befouled with the waste. Preservation crews will patch tinues to be discussed and introduced in Congress, we the building and lock it shut. Its fate is uncertain. The need to continue to stress the importance of people in the valuable artifacts in the trash dumps will not be salvaged Antarctic story. The East Base site is but one piece of the at this time. At present a light covering of gravel from whole century and a half of exploration and discovery. the island will serve as a cap to ensure their preservation, The site deserves preservation. Cultural resource man- allowing future archeologists to excavate the site based agement will continue to be an important part of the on our field mapping and photographs, as well as improve management of Antarctica. the present unsightly appearance of the rust-colored dumps. Cathy Spude is an archeologist with the Western Team at the As the preservation and clean-up effort is underway, Denver Service Center, National Park Service. Robert Spude is the National Science Foundation will prepare interpre- chief, National Preservation Programs Branch, Rocky tive signs to ensure that the East Base Historic Mountain Region, National Park Service.

Addendum Inadvertently, a photo of a HABS Advisory Board which was used to illus- trate an article about Dr. Ernest A. Connally in the CRM bulletin ("Ernest Allen Connally: Le maitre des bons mots," CRM, Vol. 14: No. 7,1991, pp. 8-9) was not fully credited nor were the mem- bers identified. The meeting took place on December 3,1970, at the Custis-Lee House in Arlington, VA. The photograph was taken by NPS photographer Jack Rottier. The participants, as numbered on this outline drawing were: (1) Raymond Freeman, ASLA; (2) James C. Massey, chief, HABS; (3) Prof. George Tatum; (4) Virginia Daiker, Library of Congress; (5) Quincy Mumford, Librarian of Congress; (6) Harthon ("Spud") E. Bill, deputy director, NPS; (7) Joe Watterson, chief, Div. of Historic Architecture, NPS; (8) Robert Gaede, AIA; (9) Ernest A. Connally; (10) Ray Girvigian, AIA; (11) Roll McLaughlin, AIA; (12) Bill Alderson, Executive Director, AASLH; (13) Prof. F. Blair Reeves, AIA, School of Architecture, University of Florida; (14) Orin Bullock, AIA; (15) Prof. Barclay G. Jones, Cornell University; and (16) Richard Hale, presi- Printed on recycled dent, SHPOs. paper